


Tradition

by fightforyourwrite



Category: Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Genre: Archery, Dresses, F/M, Post-Canon, Supportive Significant Other Phillip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:54:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23547979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fightforyourwrite/pseuds/fightforyourwrite
Summary: According to Aurora's parents, it was a tradition in their kingdom for a new ruler to fire an arrow on the eve of their coronation.
Relationships: Aurora/Phillip (Disney)
Kudos: 16





	Tradition

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, this is based off that scene from The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, which is a cinematic masterpiece btw. 
> 
> Also, this might be based off some scenes from the Chronicles of Narnia movies because I recently binged some scenes and Susan's archery skills really stuck out to me. 
> 
> Honestly, a story with elements of The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, The Chronicles of Narnia movies, and Sleeping Beauty is something I didn't know I needed to write until I actually did it.

Her royal highness Princess Aurora had fired exactly six arrows and neither of them were where she wanted them to be. The four that actually hit the target were nowhere near the center, and the two that didn’t were sticking out of the ground a few feet behind it. 

With a dissatisfied grumble, Aurora lowered her bow and set it aside. “I’ll get them.”

“I’ll help,” Phillip added. After accompanying her to practice quite a few times, he was getting used to his new role as the royal arrow fetcher.

Aurora removed the four arrows stuck in the target while Phillip walked off to grab the two flyaways. 

While she worked, she let out a sigh. When she became a princess, she was fully aware that she would have to learn certain things in order to perform her duty — what she wasn’t aware of was having to learn the ways of the bow and the arrow.

According to her parents, it was a tradition in their kingdom for a new ruler to fire an arrow on the eve of their coronation. They would fire it in the castle garden and have it land in the trunk of the sturdy tree that sat on the north end. The tree had stood there for centuries and every one of her ancestors before her had achieved the same thing. Additionally, the use of crossbows for the tradition had been banned, it apparently had something to do with her snobbish great-great-great-grandfather referring to them as “peasant tools.” 

Even though Stefan and Leah were both very healthy, which meant that Aurora wouldn’t be coronated for quite some time, they still thought it was best to get her familiar with the bow at one point. According to Stefan, his own father had arranged archery training for him three days after his eighth birthday. 

Stefan and Leah seemed to have faith in Aurora’s ability to learn. After a few lessons with a very very patient instructor, all she had left to do was practice on her own. 

When all the arrows were gathered, Phillip and Aurora made their way back to the spot she was shooting from. 30 paces was apparently the distance she had to shoot from. To make things a little more easy, her goal wasn’t to score a bullseye, but to strike a target that was similar in width to the trunk of the ancestral tree. 

Frankly, Aurora thought that there were better things to do with her time than fire arrows into her literal family tree, but she understood the importance of tradition. 

Aurora placed the arrows back in her side quiver and prepared to shoot again. Phillip watched closely like the supportive significant other he was. 

Like before, she positioned her arrow against the bow, nocked it on the bowstring, then pulled it back with three fingers on her right hand. She focused her eyes on the target in front of her, took a slow breath, then exhaled as she let go. 

The arrow flew through the air, fluttering awkwardly like a bird with an injured wing, then landed on the ground a few feet from the target.

Aurora sighed again.

“Perhaps the draw weight is too heavy?” Phillip suggested, trying to be helpful.

“I don’t think that’s the issue here,” Aurora insisted.

The bow itself wasn’t particularly hard to use, it had been personally crafted for Aurora herself. It was a good deal shorter than the longbows her father armed his soldiers with. The draw weight was suitable enough for someone of Aurora’s stature, and her body was a lot stronger than it was during her first lesson. 

However, when she nocked her next arrow and drew it back, she felt a strange tension around her upper right arm — not in her arm,  _ around _ it. 

Aurora ended up not firing the arrow. She lessened her pull on the string until her bow was back to its usual shape, the arrow still nocked.

“I think it’s this dress,” she realized, looking at the sleeve of her gown. 

Phillip seemed quizzical. “The dress?” 

Aurora nodded her head, then took her arrow off the bowstring to place back in the quiver. She then undid the quiver’s strap, removed both her gloves, then thrust all of the items into Phillip’s arms. 

“Will you hold this for me, Sweetheart?” 

Phillip stumbled a bit, the sudden task catching him off guard. “Uh… of course, my love,” he said awkwardly. He did his best to make sure the arrows didn’t slip out of the quiver. 

Aurora grinned, then affectionately patted Phillip on the cheek. “Thank you, I’ll be back in a few minutes.” 

With that, she left, hustling herself out of the courtyard and back into the castle. Phillip could only blink awkwardly and watch her go.

True to her word, Aurora really did take “a few minutes” to be back from whatever she was doing. She took approximately twenty-two of them, to be exact. 

During that time, Phillip found other ways to entertain himself — he tried his hand at archery (and soon discovered he was a horrible shot), shamefully retrieved the arrows he had launched all over the courtyard, chatted with some of the castle guards and workers, gazed up into the sky and watched the cloud formations, wondered if he could walk by the kitchens to grab a snack, and even sang a song to himself. 

In due time, Aurora finally returned to the courtyard in an outfit Phillip immediately recognized. She emerged from the castle not in her usual regal attire, but a more simple gown reminiscent of her old “Briar Rose” days. 

“I do have to admit,” Phillip started, looking her up and down appreciatively. “That dress is quite lovely on you.”

Aurora grinned, flattered. “I’ll be sure to tell Merryweather. She always knew a thing or two about sewing.” 

Phillip handed Aurora her bow and arrow back. Now in an outfit that allowed movement of the upper body, Aurora slipped her gloves back on, nocked a new arrow, and pulled back the string until the limbs of the bow began to flex. With a pair of sharp eyes, she focused on the target, zoning in on the centre. She took a slow breath, feeling her ribcage expand, then exhaled as she released the arrow.

With a sharp, satisfying thwacking noise, the arrow flew from the bow and towards the target. The tip of the arrow soon embedded itself in the target with a sudden  _ thunk! _

Aurora lowered her bow as she and Phillip surveyed the result. To their surprise, the arrow had landed right in the target — it was not in the centre, but it was a lot more accurate than the arrows that had come before it. 

With a more confident energy, Aurora smirked. “Now that’s more like it.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I have a headcanon that Aurora dislikes violence and loves animals too much to hunt, but she really gets into target shooting just for fun. Hopefully Merida would be proud of her.


End file.
